Pensioner inmates stripped of old-age grant

Prison inmates aged 60 and over are not eligible to receive the government’s old-age pension while behind bars, with prison authorities saying the inmates' daily needs are already fully covered by the state while incarcerated.Speaking to Namibian Sun this week, Raphael Hamunyela, commissioner general of the Namibian Correctional Service (NCS), clarified that pension payments for elderly inmates are not facilitated by the NCS, whether they were already receiving the grant before their incarceration or turned 60 while serving their sentence.“When someone is incarcerated, we do not process any pension claims for them. Their food, clothing, shelter and medical needs are all provided by the government. So it becomes unnecessary and a double cost to the state if they continue receiving that pension,” he explained.Hamunyela said the NCS had previously sought clarity from the social welfare ministry after inconsistencies were discovered, with some inmates continuing to receive the pension while others did not.“We wrote a letter to the ministry after we found that some inmates were still receiving the pension while in custody. They responded and clarified that nobody in prison should be getting that money,” he said.The prison chief explained that in cases where an elderly person is convicted while already receiving the old-age pension, correctional services formally notifies the ministry to suspend the payment for the duration of their prison stay.“The moment someone enters our custody, and we know they are over 60 and receiving the grant, we alert the ministry so they can stop it,” he confirmed.Systems in place for families Pension payments are a social protection tool meant to help elderly people sustain themselves, something that does not apply in a prison setting, Hamunyela said.“Inmates are fully dependent on the state. The pension is intended for those who must fend for themselves. If someone in prison continues receiving it, that’s essentially a duplication of state support,” he explained.Hamunyela also highlighted that government has mechanisms in place to support children of incarcerated parents who may have depended on the old-age grant as household income.“Our country has programmes that support the children of people in custody. If a parent – like a father – is imprisoned and no longer has an income, the government will step in to support those children through existing social protection channels,” he noted.This, he added, reinforces that inmates’ families are not left without support, even if the pension stops during imprisonment.Resumption upon releaseHamunyela emphasised that prison services ensure inmates nearing release are assisted in reinstating their benefits.“When someone is about to be released, say in three months’ time, we notify the relevant authorities so that all documentation can be prepared in advance. That way, the person can start receiving their pension again once they are back in the community,” he said.He underlined that while the prison service implements the policy, it does not formulate it.“We are not the decision-makers. We implement what the law requires. If government policy changes, we will comply.”

Pensioner inmates stripped of old-age grant

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Namibian Sun 2026-03-26

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Pensioner inmates stripped of old-age grant

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Namibian Sun 2026-03-26

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